Exposure to the tech scene in the Philippines is a great thing to happen to regular Pinoy consumers - like me - who are very much interested in the field – not only for the sake of specs and comparison, but also to learn first hand from head honchos of these companies the benefits one can get from using the products they offer.

Earlier this week, I - as a TechPinas Writer Fellow - got invited by Sir Mark of TP to go to Nokia’s then-upcoming event at the Manila Peninsula. As my first time going to any event of such nature, I got excited and I readily agreed to attend. "It will be on August 1, Nico, 11 AM," Sir Mark reminded me.

During the day of the event, he told me to go to Salon de Ning and look for our friends from FuentesManila, Nokia's PR agency. Upon reaching Salon de Ning, I was warmly greeted by the people at the registration area and later on, actually got to meet Mr. Fuentes himself! They made me feel at ease, being a complete stranger to an entirely new environment.

As I entered the venue, overwhelmed by the crowd and the cozy space, one thing struck me the most. I was looking at the TV screen and it flashed “Nokia Lumia 925”. What I didn’t know was that Sir Mark of TP sent me to the Philippine launch of Nokia’s Lumia 925! I didn't imagine he would ask me to go to an event of such importance in today's mobile scene.

After seeing the sign on the TV, I immediately asked where I could see the unit. And there it was – so beautifully displayed adjacent to the center stage.

Holding on to the Lumia 925, I was amazed at how slim and light the unit was compared to the weight of the Lumia 820 and 620 that my friends have.

Those who love slim and lightweight phones will definitely find this beauty a joy to hold.

I only spent little time with the 925 because other people also wanted to have a go at the phone. Because of that, I just decided to walk around the venue and observed the crowd. The friendly guys at FuentesManila talked to me and said that the people in this event are a community of tech bloggers and media partners of Nokia so I shouldn't be shy around them because they all know TechPinas. Afterwards, she introduced me to some of Sir Mark’s friends, the guys of The Big Time Show, and they kept me company while waiting for the big launch of the Lumia 925.

The launch highlighted the handset's key sellings points:

Better by design

Nokia discussed that along with the success of the Lumia 920, they also did their best to listen to owners on how they could further improve the phone. As a result, Nokia made a lighter and slimmer phone wrapped in gorgeous Aluminium and with an air of sophistication catering to those in the corporate field. Plus, Nokia has added a 6th lens and an enhanced OIS technology into the Lumia 925 for a richer and more powerful camera experience

Capture and Relive

Nokia presented its Smart Camera and various applications that come with it. Simply put, this innovation allows you to capture the picture first, and then relive the moment by making various modifications that you desire with Nokia’s Smart Camera. This special app lets you fully immerse yourself in your photos to make them look more creative or to help you relive memorable moments.

Here is a photo of two men boxing each other. The white dots on the lower part of the image on the TV screen show the various frames that Nokia’s Smart Camera has captured and you can click on them to show or hide elements on the final shot.

Discover and Enjoy

Even though Windows Phone 8 is practically the newest player in the current OS war, its application marketplace is already growing exponentially. In fact, 48 out of the 50 most popular apps in iOS and Android are now present in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Explore and Navigate

One thing I truly admire about the Lumia handsets of my friends is their maps. Everything is accessible even when offline! Nokia's location services have always been one of its strongest suits and understandably so, Nokia has already become the top of mind handset brand when it comes to enjoying software that can help you find directions to any spot in the world.

For the Lumia 925, you get Here Maps and you can also enjoy Maps with Livesight. Livesight lets you see nearby establishments like malls, restaurants, and cafes simply by launching your camera and pointing it to any direction around you.

As for pricing and availability, the Nokia Lumia 925 will be available at all Nokia Stores nationwide starting August 19, 2013 for only Php 23,500sans contract with White, Grey and Black as the color offerings. It will also be available as a free bundled handset with Smart LTE Postpaid Plan 1500, which I think is already very sulit.

During the event, the company also disclosed that the Lumia Amber update is already in the works and will surely come to all of their current WP8 devices

Last but not the least, the much anticipated Nokia Lumia 1020 - the best cameraphone in the world, according to Sir Mark - will be announced in the Philippines by Q4 this year; Just in time for your holiday gadget shopping!

After showcasing the various improvements that the company made on their flagship phone, they made units available for everyone to experience.

I got to play with a unit again and let me tell you, if you think Nokia Lumia 920 already excels in low light performance, you will be more amazed with Nokia Lumia 925 as it brings in much brighter photos. My Samsung Galaxy S3 - even when I'm using night mode - has totally got nothing on this new handset.

I left the event with a smile on my face. How the peeps at Nokia Philippines demonstrated and showcased the Nokia Lumia 925 was similar to how the Nokia does such presentations in the U.S. (I've seen the videos) – a very professional style of delivery coupled with the eagerness to show what makes their device stand out from the crowd.

With Sir Mark of TP and Nokia Lumia 925

After that, my mind was fixated on the event through the rest of the day, having experienced unforgettable moments in Salon de Ning. Nokia did a great job and I commend them for that. I truly feel honored to have been part of the event.

TP Writer Fellow Nico Aguila is a 4th Year Industrial Engineering student at the De La Salle University in Manila.